Overview
Securing cloud environments is essential to protect sensitive data, ensure business continuity, and maintain regulatory compliance. This checklist provides actionable steps for Swiss companies to harden their cloud operations.
Identity & Access Management
- Enforce strong authentication (MFA) for all users
- Implement least privilege access for roles and groups
- Regularly review and revoke unused accounts
- Integrate identity providers and SSO securely
Data Protection
- Encrypt data at rest and in transit
- Use key management best practices
- Classify data based on sensitivity
- Implement backup and disaster recovery procedures
Workload Security
- Harden operating systems and container images
- Apply security patches regularly
- Use network segmentation and firewalls
- Apply security monitoring to applications and services
Monitoring & Logging
- Enable audit logging for all cloud activities
- Monitor user behavior and anomalous access patterns
- Use SIEM tools to correlate events across clouds
- Set up alerting for critical security incidents
Compliance
- Ensure alignment with DSG/GDPR and industry regulations
- Document policies and security controls
- Perform regular cloud security audits
- Maintain evidence for regulatory reporting
FAQ
What is the main focus of a cloud security checklist?
It helps organizations systematically secure identities, data, workloads, and access across cloud environments.
Is compliance included in this checklist?
Yes, it covers DSG/GDPR compliance, logging, and audit readiness.
Can small businesses implement these practices?
Absolutely – the checklist can be scaled to the size and complexity of any organization.